Emergency Services Collaboration

Susan Hall: What plans does the Mayor have for continuing the collaborative working between the emergency services during COVID-19?

The Mayor: There is an ongoing need for some collaboration, especially the provision of support to the London Ambulance Service, and the London Fire Commissioner is keen for it to continue. However, the ability of London Fire Brigade (LFB) to provide this support has only been possible as a result of temporary changes to LFB operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the necessity to suspend non-essential training and non-risk critical community safety work. Nearly 2,000 members of the workforce have volunteered for pre-arranged overtime or to work on their days off, and the absence rate due to COVID-19 has been lower than expected.
The ability of LFB to continue the collaboration in the longer term will need to be balanced against the Brigade’s return over time to full operation. The impact of unknown events, such as the possibility of increased absence rates resulting from subsequent waves of infection, or additional demands due to a summer heatwave, could make it more challenging for LFB to provide ongoing support, and funding arrangements will also need to be considered.